Why Do You Always Have To Do That?
by Em Pataki
Summary: During a hard week of school and unfortunate events for Arnold and his friends, a special lecture given by a friend of Mr. Simmons makes Arnold begin to question his optimistic way of thinking. Will he finally take Gerald's advice to stop putting the weight of the world on his shoulders? Rated T for mild romance scenes.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Somebody Has To

 _Why do you always do that? Why do you always have to look on the brightside?_

 _Somebody has to…._

Do they really have to? Is it really necessary to always have someone nearby looking on the brightside? If you can't always win in real life, then why bother? Just because somebody's optimistic doesn't mean they could actually _fix_ all the problems you're facing.

While Arnold and Helga had only been dating a few years, he and Gerald had been friends since their first day of preschool. Despite how many bad situations they and the rest of their friends managed to face throughout the years, Arnold always managed to find a way to look on the brightside.

 _Classroom_

The kids were all sitting in class one morning, waiting for their 'special' teacher to arrive, while listening to their classmates go on about any problems that may have occurred recently for them.

"Well Arnold, only a few more days before we're sitting at that baseball game!" Gerald said happily.

"Yeah, it's going to be great!" Arnold nodded his head at his best friend. Before anything else could be said, the boys turned their heads to hear a complaint from the back of the room.

"Aww gee!"

Walking towards his troubled friend, Arnold asked "What's wrong Stinky?"

"I forgot to do my math assignment."

After placing a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder, Arnold said "Don't worry Stinky. Math isn't until after lunch. You can use both that and recess time to do it!"

"I reckon so."

After smiling at the idea of helping his friend, Arnold returned to his seat to see Gerald shaking his head. "Mm, mm, mmm. Arnold, why do you have to do that?"

"Do what?"

"Why do you always have to look on the brightside? It's his fault for forgetting to do it. It's not your job to fix everyone else's problems." Gerald pointed out, while Arnold began to shrug his shoulders.

"Somebody has to. Besides, he didn't do it on purpose."

Before Gerald could respond to that, Arnold's pessimistic girlfriend couldn't help but lift her head from doodling in her notebook to scowl "Yeah football head! Do yourself a favor and quit butting into other people's business! Sheesh!"

Although it sounded as though Helga was on his side, Gerald couldn't help but lift an eyebrow and ask "Something tells me you haven't had the best morning either?"

"Pttss...ya think?"

 _Helga's House_

"How in the heck am I supposed to go to work without my big white belt Miriam?!"

 _Criminy! How in the heck do you lose something that either sits in your closet or around your waist? Sheesh!_

As Helga struggled with grabbing her lunchbox that was laying underneath her past out mother, she managed to pull it out and find the only things in there were moist towelettes and shaving cream. Apparently her mother wasn't even sober enough the night before to throw in a packet of crackers.

After letting out a deep sigh, Helga was about to make do with what she had and head out, before feeling a tug on her arm.

"Hold it there missy! Where do you think you're going?"

"School dad! The place kids go to hopefully become smart enough to one day move away from losers like you!" Helga scowled with her hands on her hips, not caring how little disrespect she showed for her father.

"Not 'til we find my belt, you're not!" he scowled, crossing his arms.

"Criminy! You're the manager of the store for crying out loud! You're not going to lose your job for losing some cheap piece of junk!"

"Hey! Hey-hey-hey-hey-hey! That belt attracts customers. Customers buy cell phones. Cell phones are what keep us in business!"

"Pttss...right? I suppose every time a customer walks into the store, they're ready to walk up to you and say 'Excuse me, I'm looking to buy a phone that goes with my outfit. Do you think this one matches my belt?"

Before Bob could grow any angrier, the two of them looked to see the door opening.

"I'm home! I did some early grocery shopping for dinner tonight, and picked up your belt from the cleaners daddy. I took it in to be cleaned for your special sale you're doing today!" Olga exclaimed, while Helga stood there rolling her eyes at her sister's need to impress Bob.

"Thanks Olga! At least someone in this family recognizes the importance of the family business." Bob smirked, looking over at Helga.

"Pttss...whatever. I'm out of here."

 _Classroom_

"Mm, mm, mmm! That is truly sad." Gerald shook his head. Although his family got on his nerves, his didn't treat him as just an extra set of hands to keep around the house.

Reaching over the desk to place a hand on hers, Arnold said "He just doesn't want the business to fail again. He likes to take care of his family."

As she sat there, feeling her boyfriend rub her hand, Helga couldn't help but smirk "Arnold, if he cared about us, he wouldn't have hung onto those stupid beepers as long as he did. I mean criminy! We moved into the stinkin' store because he wasn't willing to face the facts that things couldn't be fixed."

"Everything worked out though. You're back at home, he has a new store, it's like things are back to the way they were."

"You say that like it's a good thing for her." Gerald couldn't help but interrupt.

Before the three of them could continue their conversation, Mr. Simmons walked in the room.

"Hello class! Today's going to be a very special day. I've borrowed the tv from one of the other classes so we can watch an exciting video for our nutrition class!" Mr. Simmons explained.

Although no one was interested in the video, the kids were happy to have an excuse not to have to keep their minds focused on any lecture that may be given that morning.

Once the lights were out, Arnold's eyes stayed focused on the video, not seeming to care about what his friends had to say about his personality. He was used to being criticized for his optimism.

Helga sat there with her head in her hand, continuing to doodle pictures of her beloved, as she sat thinking to herself…

 _Oh Arnold! Where would this world be without your optimistic nature? Your uncanny ability to always look on the brightside. The way you're always capable of seeing the good in a bad situation. Your successful skills that allow you to find a hopeful meaning behind every dark situation this wretched world curses us with._

When morning classes ended, the bell for lunch rang and Helga turned to her quiet friend who hadn't been feeling well.

"So Pheebs, you doing any better?"

"I'm afraid I may have gathered a few germs from when Eugene had the flu not long ago." Phoebe explained, while collecting her things to head for the cafeteria.

 _Cafeteria_

"So, did you get us some good seats?" Gerald asked his optimistic friend, while moving through the lunchline with him.

"Yeah. After Mickey saw how excited I was to hear his brother was going to be starting this season, he got me some box seats!" Arnold exclaimed, pulling the tickets out of his pocket.

"Mm, mm, mmm! Comfortable chairs, great food to go with it. Arnold, this is going to be sweet!"

After leaving the lunchline, the boys came to see Helga sitting alone at a table. "Hey, where's Phoebe?" Arnold wondered.

"She went to the nurse's office. Thanks to geek bait's inability to keep a box of kleenex handy, she's still not feeling too good." Helga scoffed, pointing in Eugene's direction.

Arnold took a seat beside his girlfriend, wrapping his arm around her, as he pushed his lunch over to share with her. "So, what'd the nurse say about her?"

Shrugging her shoulders, leaning back in her chair as she took a bite of the tapioca her boyfriend was sweet enough to bring her, Helga replied "Beats me. If nerd boy's germs are as severe as he is clumsy, we won't be seeing her for a week."

"I'm sure it's nothing serious. Probably just a cold." Arnold began to smile, while Gerald couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"Arnold, wake up and smell the coffee. The guy didn't ask her to throw away a used kleenex. He practically sneezed on her face!" Gerald exclaimed, hoping Arnold would see how pointless his optimism was in this situation.

"There's still a possibility she could be okay. I don't know my percentages like she does, but it's not guaranteed she has the flu."

Shaking his head in defeat, Gerald looked over at Helga and sighed "Why does he have to do that?"

"Pttss...don't look at me? I'm not the one who wakes up every morning, prancing around like Ms. Mary Sunshine, saying to myself 'Life is amazing, even if everything of mine in it sucks.' Sheesh!" Helga scoffed, pushing the unfinished dessert aside.

Arnold rolled his eyes at his friends' ungrateful attitudes. The one time he did decide not to find hopeful suggestions for them by deciding not to butt into their business, it wasn't long before they came running back to him.

 _Classroom_

The kids made it back to class, not caring to say much to one another. While Gerald took a seat, wondering if his girlfriend was alright, Arnold couldn't help but rethink his lifestyle. Was all the helpful advice he gave to people in his life really because he was that optimistic, or were his friends' lives just built around nothing but problems?

"Alright class, you can now pass up your math assignments!" Mr. Simmons said enthusiastically, as if the students has been just as excited about doing it as he was about assigning it.

Arnold assumed Stinky had taken his advice and completed the assignment during their free period before returning to class. Whether or not he did, that didn't mean he did a decent job on it however.

While these thoughts were pondering his mind, his girlfriend was sitting quietly behind him, leaning with her head in her hand, not feeling like drawing pictures. Instead, she gazed at her beloved with sorrowful eyes, thinking to herself…

 _Oh Arnold! If only you knew how much we need you. Our ungrateful attitudes and need for venting our hostile emotions for our unfortunate happenings is merely a cry for help. Be strong my love! Continue to look past our ungracious behavior!_

When the bell for the last class rang, Arnold turned to see his girlfriend grabbing her things. Knowing she couldn't be ready to go back home, he softly asked "Would you like to go to Slausens for a milkshake?"

"Eh, I guess so." shrugging her shoulders. Although the last thing she wanted was to spend any extra time with her family, her mind was on places other than her stomach.

Taking his girlfriend's hand in his, Arnold turned to his best friend and asked "Would you like to come with us Gerald?"

"Nah, I think I'm going to go check on Phoebe. Thanks though." he said, heading for the door.

 _Slausens_

"I'll have a bowl of vanilla ice cream." Arnold said politely to the waitress, seeing her write down the order.

"And for you darlin'?"

After turning to see Helga staring sadly out the window, Arnold said to the waitress "Uhh she'll have an extra large triple chocolate shake with two cherries. If you could add some extra whipped cream to it for her, that would be good."

"I'll have that right out for you."

A moment after the waitress left, Arnold hesitantly interrupted Helga's thoughts. "Helga, are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, I was just thinking about this morning." she admitted. Although she hated appearing weak, she knew they were at the point in their relationship where Arnold was able to tell the severity of her issues. If she acted overly aggressive, she was obviously having a bad day, but capable of dealing with it. If she was being her usual witty self, there was nothing to worry about. If she showed no interest in what anyone had to say (including him), something was clearly wrong…

"I'm sorry your dad makes you feel like this Helga. It's not right that he uses you like he does. He just doesn't realize what he's doing." Arnold began to explain, reaching across the table for her hand.

Although Helga found his positive nature admirable, a shameful use for it was her need to vent her anger without taking any of his encouraging words into consideration.

Snatching her hand back, she scowled "Criminy football head! This isn't just about how used he makes me feel. If that was true, I'd actually have something to be proud." she smirked.

"What do you mean?"

"For crying out loud! Arnold, if he had already had that sorry excuse for an advertisement this morning around his gut, he wouldn't have even remembered I existed. If this was just about being used, I'd at least know there was a chance they'd remember to make me lunch, pick up MY clothes from the cleaners, or dare I say...remember my freakin' name! But no, they only remember I exist if it benefits them. Heck, I bet he wouldn't have even remembered I did if he hadn't seen me walking past him to head for the door this morning! Sheesh!"

The waitress then appeared with their sweet treats, neither of them feeling in the mood for it. Helga leaned back against the booth with her arms crossed, looking out the window. Arnold stared at his neglected girlfriend, unsure of how to help her. Although he had some comforting words for her, it wasn't enough to change what seemed to be both hers and his best friend's outlook on life…

 _In real life, you can't always win._

 _Phoebe's House_

"Achoo"

"So, you've got the flu babe?" Gerald sighed, sitting near his girlfriend in her bedroom.

"I'm afraid so. I regret to inform you I'll be missing school for the next few days or so." Phoebe sniffled.

As he watched his girlfriend shaking mercilessly under the stack of covers (which seemed to be doing her no good), he handed her a kleenex and said "I'll stop by with your homework every day. Not that it'll help make you feel better."

Smiling weakly at him, Phoebe replied "That would be delightful."

 _Helga's House_

After realizing neither of them was interested in the desserts they had ordered, Arnold began walking Helga home. As he watched her stare sadly at the ground, he knew she must be thinking about how terrible things would be once she returned to her house.

"Well, see you later football head." Helga sighed, as she was about to head inside.

Taking her hands in his, Arnold stopped her a moment to say "Helga, I don't know everything that goes on in your house. I have a feeling your family does love you no matter how terrible a job they do of showing it. One thing's for sure, _I_ love you. You're a very strong person, and if they can't see it, you should be proud of yourself for dealing every day with the fact that they aren't willing to acknowledge it."

As she glanced at him with what almost appeared to be tearful eyes, Arnold pulled her close to kiss her. Lacing their fingers together, Helga stood there, letting out a comforting sigh. Despite the fact she would spend each day living in a lonely environment, she would always have someone to remind her she wasn't alone in life.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: A Special Guest

HEY ARNOLD! HEY ARNOLD! HEY ARNOLD!

Arnold awoke the next morning, wondering how his friends were doing. As annoyed as Helga seemed to be at his advice when things in her life appeared hopeless, his emotional support always managed to get her through to the next day.

After getting dressed, Arnold headed to the kitchen for breakfast. Sitting down in his chair with a stack of pancakes in front of him, he listened to his grandpa say "Mornin' shortman! Ready for school?"

"I guess."

"Hey, what's eatin' ya?" Phil wondered, recognizing the said tone in his grandson's voice.

"I don't know. Well, let me ask you something."

"Shoot it at me shortman!" Phil insisted, ready for anything his grandson had to say.

"Do you think I'm too optimistic? Is it pointless for me to try to find a positive side to every situation?" Arnold asked, pushing his plate aside.

"Nonsense! Everyone needs someone around to make 'em feel better! Their advice may not always work, seeing as how some things in life are hopeless, but it at least gives them something to dream about!" Phil insisted, as Arnold began to grab his things.

"Thanks grandpa. I'm going to head out."

"See ya shortman!"

 _Classroom_

Arnold walked into the classroom to see Gerald speaking with Mr. Simmons about Phoebe's homework, while Helga had already taken her seat at her desk.

Although she seemed okay on the bus that morning, he could see she wasn't quite back to her usual witty self. After taking a seat in his desk, he turned around to see her staring sadly at the sheet she was doodling on.

"Are you going to be okay Helga? You didn't say much on the bus this morning." Although Arnold knew the reason behind it, he couldn't help but point it out.

Not bothering to make eye contact with him, Helga sighed deeply at her picture, as she responded "Yeah football head, I'm fine."

Before saying anything else to her, Arnold watched his best friend take his seat with all of Phoebe's missed assignments. "Man, something tells me this is going to be a long week of catching up for her."

"It won't be that bad. She's at home, so she'll be able to get it done."

As Helga sat rolling her eyes at her boyfriend's positive excuse, Gerald said "No offense man, but doing your school work is hard enough when you're NOT sick."

After placing his girlfriend's assignments in his backpack, the class heard Mr. Simmons say…

"Alright class! Yesterday on my way home, I ran into an old friend of mine. This is Mr. Jackson!" Mr. Simmons exclaimed, welcoming his guest into the classroom.

"He majored in Philosophy, so I invited him over to give us all a special lecture on the importance of logic and reasoning."

While Helga could have cared less about the subject, Arnold sat in his desk thinking to himself…

 _I wonder if this is just a coincidence?_

There wasn't that fine of a line between his optimism and the ability to dream big when it came to situations that appeared to be hopeless. While his girlfriend could afford to have a little positivity added to her attitude, much of her pessimistic attitude came from her ability to face up to the facts of every situation. Her ability to suck it up in the toughest times and admit to herself nothing could be done to fix the problem.

"Hello class. Philosophy has many different areas that can be covered, depending on how far into it you're willing to study. These are four basic branches I believe worth covering…

Metaphysics - Study of reality (existence, time, objects) and its properties (causes of their events and relationships between the mind and body).

Epistemology - The study of knowledge (rationalism, skepticism, empiricism; questioning the likelihood of something based on already given facts).

Value Theory - Goodness, beauty, justice.

Logic - The study of reasoning.

Some of the students sat puzzled, not knowing what this had to do with helping them later in life. Helga had no need for paying attention to something she experienced as much as she believed in every day. Arnold was the only person who sat in his desk, taking an interest in what was said. Would it sink in far enough to change his actions however?

When morning classes were through, Arnold turned to see his girlfriend still sitting in her same somber position.

"Ready to eat?" he asked hopefully, as he watched her lift her head from her hand. "Guess so football head."

 _Cafeteria_

"That was an interesting topic this morning." Arnold said, moving through the lunchline with Gerald.

"It was?" Gerald asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. It made me realize why Helga sees things the way she does. It's hard to look on the brightside when you're way of thinking is based on reality."

"You mean like I've been saying to you for the past decade?" Gerald glared, following his optimistic friend back to their lunch table.

Arnold set the tray of food on the table in front of his girlfriend, who appeared to be working on an assignment to pass the time.

"Here you go Helga."

"Thanks." she sighed, reaching for her chocolate milk.

Before another word could be said, the kids heard a familiar noise from across the cafeteria "OW! I'm okay!"

Turning their heads towards the incident, Helga rolled her eyes and smirked "Criminy! Will that loser EVER get it together?!"

"It's not his fault someone spilled their drink on the floor." Arnold said, shrugging his shoulders, once again trying to point out the positives.

"I hate to break it to you football head, but in case you weren't listening in class, right there's a perfect example of today's sorry excuse for a reasonable outlook on life."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Setting her drink aside, Helga leaned closer towards her boyfriend and scowled "Think about it football head! That teacher just finished preaching to us about reality and its properties. That jynx's ability to find a way to entertain the school with self-abuse is worthy of being called Metaphysics.

"She does have a point man. Just because it would be nice to see him go a day without tripping on something, doesn't mean it'll ever happen." Gerald nodded in agreement, while Arnold couldn't help but eye his clumsy classmate.

 _Classroom_

After returning to the classroom, Arnold took a seat beside his best friend and said "So, just a few more day until the baseball game."

"Thanks goodness. This weeks barely begun and I'm already ready to get it over with!" Gerald exclaimed.

"Pttss...you said a mouthful there pal." Helga scoffed, holding her head in her hand, while seeing Mr. Simmons enter the room.

"Alright class, I'm sure you all enjoyed the lecture this morning!" Mr. Simmons said excitedly.

"It was just ever so interesting!" Lila couldn't help but interrupt.

"I suppose he made a few good points. Beauty is highly valuable. As long as you know what you're doing that is." Rhonda smirked.

"I don't understand what being skeptical has to do with doing well in school?" Sid asked, as Helga sat rolling her eyes.

 _Maybe you should take a look in the mirror dweeb! Sheesh!_

Once afternoon classes ended, Arnold watched Gerald head for Mr. Simmons' desk to grab Phoebe's assignments.

Arnold turned to see his girlfriend gathering her things, once again carrying a look that implied heading home didn't sound any better than staying in class.

"Would you like to take a walk around the park Helga?"

"I don't know about you, but I don't feel like lugging this book bag of mine around all afternoon." she scoffed.

"We could drop them off at your house. Then I'll pick up mine when I take you home." he suggested.

"Eh, works for me."

 _Phoebe's House_

"You look a little better babe." Gerald said, handing his girlfriend her books.

"I'm no longer experiencing frequent chills or muscle pain." Phoebe explained, reaching for a few kleenex.

"That's great!"

Nodding her head in agreement, Phoebe asked "How are things proceeding at school? Have I missed anything extraordinary?"

"Today one of Simmons' old buddies visited to give us a lecture on Philosophy. That's about it." Gerald explained.

"Philosophy can be quite useful…" Phoebe began, while seeing her boyfriend lift an eyebrow.

"While there are many different areas to study, it overall pertains to a person's outlook on life and everything included in it."

 _Helga's House_

"Criminy! I don't care about your stupid dessert! I just came to drop off our bags. Sheesh!"

Helga stepped back out onto her porch to see her boyfriend waiting nervously for her.

"Ready to go football head?"

"I uhh guess. What happened in there?" he couldn't help but ask, taking her hand in his.

"Pttss...Ms. Perfect thought I'd actually be interested in helping her with her stupid lemon soufflet."

"Well, at least she noticed you." Arnold pointed out, seeing his girlfriend roll her eyes.

"Arnold, it wasn't an activity she had been planning for us to do all week together. She saw me walking by and thought to herself 'Oh good! Someone to help speed things up for mom and dad, that I can still take all the credit for!' Sheesh!"

After letting out a deep sigh, Helga looked down to see her boyfriend rubbing her hand with his thumb. Looking into his sweet eyes, it was hard finding ways to be negative as long as he was showing her that type of care.

 _Park_

After making a few strolls around the park, the two of them took a seat on the bench by the fountain. Arnold wrapped his arm around his girlfriend, rubbing her arm, hearing a soft sigh release from her.

"So what did you think of the lecture today?" he asked.

Not knowing why he would care, she replied "Pttss...the guy was literally just giving us a reality check. How logical our thoughts are compared to the way things _actually_ are."

"In a lot of ways that's true, which made it easy for me to understand why you think and feel the way you do. I also found it to be disappointing."

"Pttss...since when do you not find a way to see something good in every stinkin' area of life?" Helga smirked, cocking her brow at her boyfriend.

"Having to have a logical explanation for everything made it seem like there can only be so much hope for everything in a person's life. Every problem has a limitation when it comes to finding a solution for it. There's only so much a person can do." Arnold explained lifelessly, as Helga sat thinking to herself…

 _DOI! That's what we've been telling you football head!_

"Yeah well, that's reality bucko. You've done some amazing things, but you're not Geraldo's next urban legend."

Lacing their fingers together, Arnold examined the hopeless facial expression his girlfriend appeared to be delivering. It was as though she was admitting defeat to her life and all the drama in it. Why did it matter how tough she was if she never gained any recognition for it?

"Everything's going to be okay Helga. I know that sounds more hopeful than logical, but the world would be an even sadder place if we didn't have anything to hope for."

Listening to these words reminded Helga of all the torture she felt from the unrequited love she had built up for Arnold. Despite the agony she went through because of it, the one thing that gave her the strength to do it was hope. Hope that the two of them would maybe one day end up together; hope that he would return her strong feelings. She couldn't just shatter that hope by revealing her secret and have her life's dream ruined in ten seconds all due to rejection.

Perhaps deep down in that tormented soul of hers, she had been looking on the brightside. If she continued to hold on each day by having hope for the two of them, that possibility would one day become a reality. Sure enough it did.

As Arnold's eyes were about to change to match his girlfriend's desolate ones, she leaned in to kiss his soft, sweet lips. As she held his face in her hands, he could feel her release a satisfying sigh. One that told him although she still wasn't content with her home life, she was more than grateful for him.

 _Helga's House_

The two of them made it back to Helga's house as the stars were beginning to appear in the night sky. Arnold followed Helga inside to grab his bag, rather than making her bring it out to him.

"This casserole's amazing Olga! I'm gonna have to put another notch in my big white belt!"

Arnold looked over to see Helga's family enjoying dinner without her. They were all so happy together. Her dad wasn't talking about business, her mom was sober, they didn't even care that Helga wasn't with them.

"Well, here's your bag football head. See ya tomorrow." Helga said in a monotone voice.

After moving his eyes from the table with the happy Pataki family to his neglected girlfriend, he kissed her on the cheek and said softly "Uhh thanks. See you tomorrow."

Placing a hand to her face, Helga would have turned red, had she thought her family actually cared to notice her.

 _Boarding House_

Making it back to his place, Arnold opened the door to get a viewing of the usual stream of pets pouring past him.

As he was walking inside, he heard Phil ask "That you shortman?"

"Hey grandpa."

"Oohh bad day?" Phil asked, setting his paper aside.

"Well, we had a guest come to our school today and talk to us about Philosophy."

"Philosophy? Is that that thing you see a therapist for?" Phil asked, rubbing his chin.

"No, he was talking to us about logical reasoning." Arnold explained, looking at his crossed arms on the table.

"Logical eh? Well you know shortman, not everything in life makes sense."

Arnold began to lift his head, feeling a bit of support from his grandpa's words. "Really?"

"Sure. You really think I would have married your grandma if it did? Hehe." Phil laughed, seeing his grandson roll his eyes.

"Night grandpa."

"Night shortman!"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Remain Calm

"How's Phoebe doing?" Arnold asked his best friend, as the two of them were gathering their books from their lockers the next morning.

"She's getting better. Between the movies and the lectures, I'd say she picked a good week to miss." Gerald said wittingly.

"At least we have the baseball game to look forward to." Arnold pointed out; once again looking on the brightside.

"Thank goodness for that!"

 _Classroom_

Arnold walked into the classroom to see his girlfriend sitting quietly at her desk. She was carrying the same desolate look on her face she was at the park the previous night.

As he took his seat, he turned to face Helga sitting with her head propped in her hand, doodling in her notebook. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard "I had a good time last night."

"Arnold!" she jumped back, not expecting to hear anyone speak to her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." he insisted, reaching for her hand.

"It's okay." she sighed, watching him rub her hand, trying to comfort her. As nice as it was, it wasn't enough to distract her mind from another lovely morning dispute she faced…

 _Helga's House_

"Criminy Miriam! Could you find something else to pass out on top of!" Helga scowled, trying to grab her lunchbox from underneath her mother. Part of her didn't know why she bothered, when she knew nothing worth eating would be in there. A speck of hope was just hidden somewhere inside of her each day.

After removing the item from underneath her mother, she became distracted from opening it when she heard "Baby sister!"

"Criminy! WHY do you have to be so loud? I'm literally two inches away from you! Sheesh!" Helga scowled, throwing her hands in the air.

As usual, Olga ignored the aggressive remark and went on to say "Oh baby sister, I made your lunch for you."

Cocking her brow, Helga asked suspiciously "You did?"

"Mommy was too tired last night, so I volunteered to do it." Olga nodded excitedly, while running to grab a bag from the freezer.

Helga grabbed the ice cold bag to see her sister had packed her some chicken tenders. "Just heat them up when you get to school."

Clenching her fists, shoving the bag back into her sister's face, Helga scowled "We don't have a stinkin' microwave in the cafeteria! Sheesh!"

 _Classroom_

"I don't know why you bother checking that thing in the morning? Especially when you get a free meal from him every day." Gerald said, pointing to Arnold.

Rolling his eyes at his friend's inability to see the undeserving situation his girlfriend was in, Arnold said "Maybe we could go out when school is over. We could go grab a corn dog by the pier?"

Before receiving a response, the class turned their heads to hear "NO!"

Arnold's eyes widened to see Sid crying at what appeared to be a hand full of money.

"What's wrong Sid?" he asked, walking over towards his classmate.

"I'm supposed to pay Big Gino back for the money he gave me for my new pony after school. Only...only I'm short a dollar! What am I going to do? I guess I could skip lunch? What if he comes looking for me before then?! Oh gosh! What if he's standing in the hallway right now! AHH!"

"Sid calm down. I've got a dollar right here you can have." Arnold said, pulling the money out of his pocket.

"Really? Thanks Arnold. You're the greatest!" Sid sighed with relief.

After returning to his seat, Arnold turned to his best friend and said "He should be okay now."

"Pttss…"

Arnold then turned completely around to acknowledge the sarcastic sound being made towards his optimistic attitude. "What?"

"Do you seriously believe your pathetic dollar is enough to put that loser's mind at ease?" Helga scoffed.

Shrugging his shoulders, Arnold replied "He said that was all he needed."

"I'm willing to bet whatever change is left in your pockets, that kid's mind won't be at ease until that lollipop suckin' gang collects the money from his cowardly hands." Helga agitatedly pointed a finger at her problem solving boyfriend.

Arnold sat silently staring at the agitated look in his girlfriend's eyes until they heard…

"Hello class! I'm sure you enjoyed our guest yesterday!"

"That's a new definition of the word enjoyed, but alright." Gerald said wittingly.

"Now I know it may have seemed a bit unusual, but rest assured the things he went over with you will come very handy later in life…"

"I think we got a couple of prime examples in here right now." Helga scoffed, as the class began to laugh.

"Class please settle down. We're going to get started on continuing our Nutrition lesson." Mr. Simmons explained, while Helga once again placed her head in her hand, appearing uninterested in everything that was said all morning.

When it was time for lunch, Arnold turned to see his girlfriend ready to go, as if she just saw it as being one step closer to finishing the day.

As the kids stood from their seats, they watched Sid tip toe out of the classroom.

"Uhh Sid, what are you doing?" Gerald asked.

"When I pay Gino, I want it to be in the cafeteria, or on the playground. You know, an open area where we aren't alone. I don't want to be alone in a dark hallway, where he's given the perfect opportunity to threaten...or possibly murder me!" Sid exclaimed.

"Well so far you're been doing a lovely job of avoiding him considering all that screaming you've been doing." Gerald pointed out.

 _Cafeteria_

Sitting at their usual table, with her boyfriend's arm wrapped around her, Helga leaned back in her seat with the tapioca he was nice enough to bring her every day. Glancing across the room as she took a spoonful of it, she couldn't help but say…

"Criminy! Would you look at that loser?"

"Well, he said he was looking for an open area." Gerald reminded her, as the three of them looked over to see Sid shaking anxiously with his money to pay back Gino.

"I'm sure he's fine." Arnold insisted, as he watched his friends shake their heads.

"Football head, take a look at that joker. Standing there shaking in the corner with his eyes darting in every direction. What 'oh so special' form of philosophical behavior rings a bell in this case? I'll give you a hint. It rhymes with Big Gino - ology." she smirked.

Looking over in his petrified classmate's direction, Arnold thought to himself…

 _My showing Sid some optimism by giving him the rest of the money he needed wasn't enough to change his epistemology. Does reality really make it pointless to try in life?_

 _Classroom_

After what turned into a quiet lunch period, the kids made it back to the classroom. Arnold sat in his desk to see Sid walking in peacefully after having given Gino the money. Helga was right about staying tense all the way up to the point he would be handing over the money.

"Class, I have your math assignments from the other day ready to pass back!" Mr. Simmons exclaimed.

Once all the papers were passed back, Arnold turned to hear one of his classmates say "Aww gee!"

While Arnold's optimism had been enough to encourage Stinky to finish his work, it wasn't enough to change his classmate's level of knowledge on the subject.

Arnold sat in his desk the rest of the afternoon, letting his new level of Philosophy continue to sink in and wrestle with his hopeful way of thinking.

When the last bell came, Arnold turned to his girlfriend and asked "You still want to get something to eat?"

Grabbing her things, she shrugged her shoulders and said "I'm not that hungry."

"Can I at least walk you home?" he asked hopefully.

"Sure football head."

 _Phoebe's House_

"Here you go babe. You haven't missed too much." Gerald said, handing his girlfriend her things.

"I greatly appreciate it Gerald. I should be back Monday." The small Asian girl said, wrapping a warm blanket around herself.

Deciding to take a risk at the germs he'd be collecting, Gerald took a seat beside his girlfriend.

"How are things between Arnold and Helga?"

Gerald stopped to consider this. It wasn't unusual for Helga to be annoyed by Arnold's optimism. Arnold had yet to make it clear he was giving his brightside attitude second thoughts. Therefore, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

"Same as always. I have to admit, I'm starting to side with Pataki as far as that brightside behavior or his goes though."

Giving a concerned look, Phoebe asked "Has anything troubling happened between the two of you recently?"

"No, I just don't know what makes him think he has to take the weight of the world on his shoulders." Gerald sighed.

"Arnold has always been a positive thinker Gerald. Those who are optimistic have just as much trouble finding a tough situation to be hopeless as a pessimistic person does finding it to be fixable." Phoebe explained, seeing her boyfriend smile.

"Mm, mm, mmm! I guess those two really were made for each other. You know, to even the other one out." he joked, as his girlfriend couldn't help but laugh.

 _Helga's House_

After making it to her house, walking down the street hand in hand, Helga couldn't help but notice her boyfriend being so quiet.

"What's with the awkward silence football head?"

"Huh? Oh sorry Helga. I've just got some things on my mind." he said, rubbing his neck.

"Pttss...yeah, I assumed they were in your mind when they weren't escaping your lips. What's up?" she insisted on knowing.

Taking a seat on her porch steps, Arnold sighed "I just feel like giving up."

Cocking her brow as she took a seat beside him, she asked "Giving what up?"

"This whole 'looking on the bright side' thing. Just because it would be nice for something to happen doesn't mean it will."

There were very few times in life Helga had seen her boyfriend act so down. It was unusual for her to have to play the positive role in their relationship.

"Football head, don't you remember what I told you? Your blind optimism is one of your most annoying qualities."

"Why should I keep it then?" Arnold wondered, not knowing where she could be going with this.

"Just because it's annoying doesn't mean it's not helpful. Everything that's helpful is annoying! Look at how smart Pheebs is. Even though she's my best friend, do you really think I enjoy listening to her five paragraph descriptions for what I'm sure only requires a one word explanation? Sheesh!" Helga rolled her eyes, bringing a smile to her boyfriend's face.

"Thanks Helga." he said softly, taking her hand in his. Rubbing it gently with his thumb, he watched her cheeks begin to blush.

"Uhh no problem. I guess I'll see you later."

Before letting her leave, he pulled her close to kiss her soft sweet lips. The connection he felt from her appreciation for his positive behavior sent a hot sensation sending shivers throughout their sensitive skin.

Normally Helga's body would be trembling at the touch of her beloved. Rather this time, it was him who was shaking from her sweet words.

Barely releasing her lips, smiling against them, he laughed "So, you _like_ when I annoy you?"

Despite being so close to his face, she managed to roll her eyes. "I'm just not looking to be the problem solver in the relationship."

"Whatever you say Helga." he sighed, helping her off the porch steps.

 _Boarding House_

After making it to his porch, past the stream of pets, Arnold walked inside to see Phil sitting in the kitchen.

"Hey grandpa."

"Hey shortman! How was school?" Phil exclaimed, finishing up his roast beef sandwich.

"Okay I guess." Arnold sighed, folding his arms against the table.

"Still thinking about that logical reasoning stuff?"

"Yeah. Helga says everyone needs my positive attitude in their life, but they don't act like it."

"Did I ever tell you about the time your aunt Mitzi caught strep throat?"

"Uhh no?"

"Oh boy! She came home from the doctor with the worst cough. The only thing she hated more than the way her throat felt was the way the medicine for it tasted. Every morning and night she complained about taking it! Finally, I decided to help her out."

"What did you do for you?" Arnold asked, not knowing what Phil could have done for her.

"I got rid of her medicine! I dumped it in the sink!"

Arnold sat and stared, knowing that couldn't have ended well.

Phil laughed at himself, as he continued with the story. "After telling her what I did, she was so mad, she wasted no time squealing on me. The fact that she had to go back for another doctor's visit to get a refill didn't exactly make her forgive me any quicker. Hehe"

"So, what does this have to do with that class?"

"Just because someone needs something, doesn't mean they enjoy it! Heck just the fact that someone _knows_ they need something can be annoying to them!"

"Thanks grandpa." Arnold left the table, knowing that while the last thing his friends may be good at was showing appreciation for his optimism, it was what they treasured most about him.

"Anytime shortman!"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Let's Walk

 _Helga's House_

"For crying out loud Miriam! Did ya drink all the coffee again?!"

Helga walked downstairs for school that morning to find her dad upset to see the ten gallons of caffeine her mother drank on a daily basis still weren't enough to fight her 'smoothies.'

 _I'm surprised it wasn't on Olga's grocery list!_ Helga thought to herself, as she came to grab herself a bowl for some cereal.

Olga then entered the kitchen to see her family together in there for separate reasons. "What's going on daddy?"

Angrily turning to face his oldest daughter, Bob scowled "Your mother drank all the coffee for cryin' out loud! How am I supposed to run a beeper empire without something to wake me up in the morning?"

 _Pttss...You sound plenty awake to me!_ Helga thought to herself, while leaning her head against the counter, sadly stirring her cereal.

"I got you some extra coffee at the store the other day daddy!"

 _Of course you did Ms. Golden Child!_

"I put it in the other cabinet with the things I bought to make my yummy Chicken Casserole tonight!" Olga said, happily pulling it out of the cabinet.

"Thanks Olga!"

"Let me just fix you a cup! I'll set it beside mommy for just a moment."

After being able to ignore her husband's loud complaining, Miriam was disrupted by the soft placement of the new coffee can beside her current mug.

"Huh? What? Oh I'm...I'm awake!"

Rather than hanging onto the mug after being disrupted from her sleep, she swiped it across the counter and onto her neglected daughter.

"Miriam!" Helga scowled.

"Oh...I'm sorry honey! Here, that'll come out." Miram insisted, reaching for a paper towel.

Not feeling like finishing her cereal, Helga said "Mom, stop it! Just leave me alone! I'm going to school now!"

Not to her surprise, she didn't receive a response from them. After turning to the sidewalk, she did receive a surprise. "Arnold!"

"Hey Helga." he said softly.

"What are you doing here football head? Don't we normally meet at the bus stop?" she scoffed.

"After the week you've been having, something told me you'd be anxious to leave early this morning." he began.

"Pttss...ya got that right!"

I thought we could walk to school together." he suggested, reaching his hand out for hers.

 _Oh my beloved! Always thinking of others in their hour of need, despite the ungratefulness we tend to show for you!_

Taking his hand in hers, he couldn't help but notice the huge stain on the front of her dress. "If you don't mind my asking, what spilled on your dress?"

Clenching his hand tightly, she grunted "Miriam and her inability to hang onto her stupid cup of coffee! Like it's not bad enough she can't spare five minutes to make a lunch for me rather than a smoothie for herself. Can she not find a place other than the kitchen to pass out? Sheesh!"

Arnold began to rub his girlfriend's hand after hearing the deep sigh she let out. Like she said to him, his blind optimism was annoying, but that didn't mean they didn't need it from him.

"Nobody's perfect Helga. She didn't _mean_ to spill her drink on you." Much like his support for Stinky, Arnold knew he didn't _mean_ to forget to do his homework. Although it didn't fix the problem, the idea behind it may change Helga's harsh opinion of her mother.

"Pttsss...I guess. How could she _mean_ to do anything when she's that far gone? Sheesh!"

 _Classroom_

"Man! Where were you two?" Gerald exclaimed, as he watched his best friend walk into class with his girlfriend.

Sorry Gerald, we decided to walk this morning.

"Walk? What for? You lose your bus pass or something?" Gerald asked, lifting an eyebrow.

As Helga took a seat, ignoring his concern, Arnold rolled his eyes and said "No, we just thought it would be a nice thing to do."

"Whatever you say Arnold."

While the kids were waiting for the teacher to arrive, Helga began feeling the moist spot on her dress. Not that she cared about dressing nice. It was just irritating that she couldn't get through a single morning without something depressing happening to her. It was bad enough her family didn't acknowledge the fact she existed. Did they _have_ to find more ways to make her miserable?

"Looks as though someone wasn't paying too much attention in class the other day…"

Helga turned her head to look at her stylish friend, grinning at the huge stain on Helga's dress. "What's that supposed to mean, Princess?!"

"Not that you've ever done a decent job of showing it, but Mr. Simmons' friend explained to us how a person looks can depend on how important it is to them. In other words, how much they value it. Perhaps that's why you're always walking around, looking like a toddler. You've yet to _understand_ the level of importance looks have for a person."

"Mm, mm, mmm! I can only imagine the type of lessons she'll be teaching _her_ kids." Gerald shook his head, while Arnold turned his head to see his girlfriend gritting her teeth.

As Helga was attempting to stand, about to give Rhonda a taste of Ol' Betsy, Mr. Simmons entered the room.

"Good morning class! I had an exciting idea for this week's poetry assignment!"

 _Pttss...of course you did._ Helga scoffed at her teacher's enthusiasm.

"Normally, I let you pick your topics. This time, I want you to pick a person, and write about what makes them special to you. What is one quality they possess you find to be unique."

As Helga listened to this, she lifted her head from her hand and looked at what was always the inspiration of her assignments; her beloved.

She didn't need to think about that. She already knew the main thing that drew her to him. It was the main thing she criticized him for. Perhaps it was because she envied him. The way he was always able to see the light at the end of life's dark tunnel. Where would she be without someone like that in her life? Someone to give her hope; a reason to believe tomorrow was worth looking forward to.

When class ended, Arnold turned to his girlfriend who had appeared to have cooled down a bit.

"You ready for lunch?"

"I guess so." she sighed, doing her best to ignore her snobbish classmate who was walking past them.

As Arnold and Helga were walking down the hall hand in hand, he couldn't help but notice her looking at the stain on her dress.

"Don't worry Helga. It's not a big deal."

"You mean except for the fact that I'll be using half a gallon of bleach that will result in leaving an even bigger mark to remove this one from it?" she smirked.

"I'm sure you've got other dresses. Besides, you look nice no matter what you're wearing." he smiled, hearing a swoon release from her.

 _Cafeteria_

As Arnold and Gerald walked to get some food in the lunchline, Helga sat alone at a table with her head in her hands. Waiting for her boyfriend to return, she sighed to herself, thinking about the harsh week she had had. Her family didn't notice her unless it benefited them. Her classmates looked for the chance to humiliate her. Her own harsh behavior towards the love of her life wasn't exactly encouraging for either of them.

After letting out a deep sigh, she saw a tray of food placed in front of her. "Here you go Helga."

After feeling an arm wrapped around her, Helga looked over with her sad eyes to see a set of hopeful ones looking back at her.

"Thanks football head." she sighed, grabbing the pudding off his tray.

"Just two more days until we're sitting at that ball game buddy! You still got those tickets right?" Gerald asked anxiously, while Helga rolled her eyes at his concern.

"Right here."

After pulling them out of his pocket, Gerald quickly snatched them and said "Man! This is bigger than the next Pop Daddy movie!"

"Pttss...can't be that big then." Helga scoffed, rolling her eyes as she stirred her pudding.

Looking over at his girlfriend, Arnold could see her mind wasn't focused on her stomach. "Would you like to come over after school? We could work on our poems together." he suggested.

Smiling weakly at him, she replied "Sounds good to me football head."

 _Classroom_

Once lunch ended, the kids returned to the classroom, where Helga took a seat at her desk, thinking about what Arnold's poem may be. She didn't feel comfortable asking him in front of Gerald. It wasn't long ago she began feeling comfortable discussing matters such as that with just him.

If she was the person he chose to write about, what special quality of hers would he have to choose from? The absolute last thing she was was optimistic.

 _I wonder what he's thinking about? None of these idiot classmates of ours possess traits worthy of being envied. Oh Arnold! If only you knew how special you are. The way you light up our world with your encouraging words!_

Helga sat blatantly staring at her beloved with her head in both her hands the rest of the afternoon.

When classes were over, Arnold turned to see her still staring at him. It was as if she hadn't realized it was time to leave. "You ready to come over?" he asked.

"Huh? Oh sure."

"We'll see you later Gerald. Unless you'd like to come work on them with us?" Arnold asked sincerely, while seeing his friend lift an eyebrow. "As fun as that sounds, I think I'm going to take my girl her homework."

"Okay, see you later." Arnold said, giving his best friend their secret handshake.

"Later man."

 _Phoebe's House_

"How ya doing babe?" Gerald asked, passing his girlfriend her new assignments.

"I'm pleased to inform you the severity of my cough has decreased." she smiled, as her boyfriend took a seat beside her.

Wrapping his arm around her, while handing her a kleenex, he listened to her ask "Have any new guests appeared to continue the Philosophical speech you received earlier this week?"

"No. Thank goodness for that!" Gerald shook his head.

"Perhaps we'll be given an assignment on logical reasoning vs. optimistic thinking." Phoebe wondered, while Gerald began to lift an eyebrow.

"Man, why not just ask Arnold and Pataki to do a live debate for us?" Gerald said wittingly, as his girlfriend tried holding back a laugh.

 _Boarding House_

"Sheesh! Have you considered building a shed out back for this crazy stampede of pets of yours?" Helga scowled, watching her boyfriend open the front door to the boarding house.

"They'd just come flying out of there every time I opened the door to feed them." Arnold pointed out, walking past the kitchen with his girlfriend.

"That you shortman?" Phil asked.

Arnold and Helga entered the kitchen to see him reading the paper.

"Hey grandpa."

"Hey there shortman. You bring your girlfriend by for some logical thinking?" Phil winked, while seeing Helga cock her brow at him.

"Uhh yeah. We're going to go work on our homework. See you later grandpa."

"Later shortman!"

 _Arnold's Room_

Helga set her bag down beside Arnold's bed, anxious to get her poem over and done with. Not quite as anxious to know what Arnold's would be about however.

Arnold walked over to see her pulling out her notebook, as if she already had it written down inside her head. She just needed to put it all onto paper.

"I guess you already know what yours is about?"

"Uhh maybe? Why? Don't you? I would think your blind optimism would make it impossible for you NOT to find anything to be special." she scoffed.

"True, but this is supposed to be about a person and which quality of theirs we find to be irresistible." he reminded her.

"Pttss...guess tall hair boy won't be writing about his baseball tickets then."

Picking up her hand, he began to caress it with his thumb as he said "I know who to write about, I just don't know what to pick about her."

Rolling her eyes at his indecisiveness, she scoffed "I would think Ms. Perfect would be an easy topic. _Every_ freakin' thing about her is admirable! Sheesh!" Helga scoffed, knowing he had to be referring to Lila.

Why would he admire someone as pessimistic as Helga? There was nothing about her negative traits worth envying.

"What makes you think I would write about her?" he asked, sitting beside her, continuing to rub her hand.

"Ummm because like you just said, this is supposed to be based on something we find to be irresistible. What is there about my bleak, cynical behavior that's worth being envied?" Helga smirked.

Arnold looked at his troubled girlfriend with what almost appeared to be offended eyes. It was bad enough she thought that way of herself. Did she really believe _he_ thought that way of her?

"You don't really think I feel that way about you do you? Your pessimistic way of thinking is just as admirable as my optimistic way of thinking." he insisted, as she began to cock her brow at him "Pttss...how do you figure?"

"Just because you think pessimistically about something doesn't necessarily mean you think negatively. You just take time to consider the facts or likelihood of a situation, and think logically."

Leaning his head against hers, Arnold cupped her face with his hand. Stroking her cheek with his thumb, implying how admirable she was just as is.

Staring into his emerald eyes, holding back a swoon, she softly said "and you _like_ that?"

His face widened into an eager grin, thinking back to what had been said to him on her front porch. "You bring me back to reality, so that I'm there to give you hope for it."

"Pttss...oh that makes sense."

Before anything else could be said, Arnold reached behind her head, pulling her close to press their lips firmly together. His hand began sliding through her strands of hair, while wrapping his other arm around her, pulling her tight against his chest.

Helga began to moan, not just at the excitement of their heartbeats strumming together, but the idea of someone finding such a good use for her cynical personality.

The touch and care of his lips sent the same chills through her body that her encouraging words sent through his on her front porch the previous day. The thought of someone showing such appreciation (let alone finding a reason to have any) for such a gloomy trait caused her to shiver in his arms.

While still holding her tight, he pulled back a bit, keeping close enough to feel their warm breath blending together. "I _believe_ it does." he breathed, making her shake as his lips brushed hers with their movements.

"And if I said it doesn't…"

Feeling his lips coil into a smile, he whispered "You're just thinking logically."

Without giving her a chance to respond, Arnold pulled her lips to meet his once again. Feeling the way they moved together perfectly was like a sign their opposite ways of thinking were what made their relationship work so well.

Feeling him slowly release her lips, her eyes fluttered open. Watching his warm smile and hypnotizing half-lidded eyes, she asked "So, which logical trait of mine will you be writing about then?"

"I think you just answered your own question." he smiled, watching her roll her eyes. Pushing him aside, she scoffed "Shut up football head."

As they were about to get started on their assignment, they heard… KNOCK KNOCK!

"Who is it?" Arnold asked.

"Hey shortman, dinner's ready." Phil said, opening the door.

"Okay, be right there."

After seeing his grandpa leave the room, Arnold turned to his girlfriend and asked "Would you like to stay for dinner?"

"Nah, I need to get going. Besides, this will give you time to write your poem about me. It better be good!" Helga smirked, pointing a finger at her beloved.

"Whatever you say Helga."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Silent Treatment

 _Bus Stop_

The end of that dramatic week had finally approached. After having breakfast with his family, Arnold headed out the door to meet his girlfriend and best friend at the bus stop. Rounding the corner, he bumped heads with who he expected to be his girlfriend…

"Oh sorry Helg...Gerald?"

"Man! Why are you always cutting corners so close?" Gerald snapped.

Widening his eyes at the unpleasantness of his best friend's attitude, Arnold asked "Uhh is everything okay Gerald?"

 _Gerald's House_

"Come on Jamie O, I need to pee! Let me in!" Gerald insisted, waiting for his chance to use the bathroom.

Opening the door, the older sibling said "All yours little brother!" tripping his younger sibling on the way out.

"OW!" Gerald exclaimed, slamming his head against the floor.

After showering and dressing for school, Gerald went downstairs thinking to himself…

 _Just twenty four more hours until that baseball game!_

While seeing Gerald sitting at the table with a bowl of sugar chunk cereal, Jamie O couldn't help but notice something sticking out of his younger brother's pants pocket.

"Hey! Give those back!" Gerald exclaimed, after seeing Jamie O snatch the tickets for the baseball game.

"What are you gonna do about it?"

"Come on Jamie O! I'm not messing around! Arnold got those tickets for us to see Mickey Kaline's brother play tomorrow!"

"What makes you think I'd give them back then?" Jamie O laughed, waving the tickets in his younger brother's face.

Clenching his fists tightly, Gerald felt the urge to punch his brother when he heard "Gerald, will you play detective with me after school!"

Letting out a deep sigh, he said "Not now Tim! I'm busy!"

"But you always say that!" Timberly cried, while Jamie O took their younger sister's distraction as an opportunity to run with the tickets.

 _Bus Stop_

"It'll be okay Gerald. There will be plenty of other games for us to go to." Arnold said, patting his friend on the back.

"None like that one! Man, why does he always have to do that? Why can't I have something that's mine? Something I don't have to worry about him stealing from me?!" Gerald insisted on knowing as the boys saw Helga approaching.

"Since when do you NOT bump into me football head?" Helga scoffed, seeing he had already beat her there.

"Oh hey Helga. Gerald's had kind of a rough morning."

"KIND OF?" Gerald emphasized, as Helga began to roll her eyes. "Pttss...what happened? Your mom tell you to get a haircut?"

"Actually, his brother stole our baseball tickets." Arnold explained, placing his hand on his friend's shoulder.

Rolling her eyes once again, Helga scoffed "Oh for crying out loud hairboy! Those boxes you had tickets for have tvs inside of them. Tell me, how is that any different from sitting in your own stinkin' living room with a microwaved hot dog, viewing the game on your own tv screen? Sheesh!"

Normally a smart mouth response or rolling his eyes would be the most negative response Gerald would throw in response to Helga's criticism. Today just wasn't a good morning for it however.

"Look Pataki! My girlfriend's sick, my family's driving me crazy, now I can't go to the game I've been dying to see. Don't start with me!"

Arnold wasn't sure what to do in this case. He had already told Gerald not to worry about the game. Even before Helga showed up however, it didn't do much to change his negative outlook on the situation.

Before they could take their negative remarks any further, the bus pulled up. Gerald marched up the steps to head for the back of the bus. He wasn't in the mood to speak with anyone.

While Helga was willing to sit beside her boyfriend, it turned out to be a quiet ride all the way to P.S.118. Arnold sat wondering how to fix things with Gerald. Was there anything he could do, or would he just have to wait for him to come around on his own?

 _Classroom_

Helga took a seat in her desk, wondering if Arnold had started on his poem. It wasn't due until next week. She could tell however by the upsetting silence her boyfriend's friend had brought to his face, now wouldn't be the best time to ask him about it.

As she sat there leaning her head in her hand against her desk, she began doodling pictures of her beloved. Doing this, she couldn't help but overhear her classmates talk about their poem topics…

"I reckon I'll be writing my poem about Ms. Lila, on account of she's perfect."

"I wish I could do my report on Sydney. Frogs are the coolest!" Sid exclaimed.

"Oh please! In what way do you find anything about those disgusting creatures to be irresistible?" Rhonda smirked.

Rolling her eyes at the usual pointless blabbering of her classmates, Helga let out a deep sigh she assumed her boyfriend didn't care to notice.

Finally, Mr. Simmons entered the room. "Hello class! It's the end of the week!"

"Thank goodness!" Sid interrupted.

"Yes well, I'm trusting you all have started or at least chosen who you'll be writing about for your poems." he began, hearing the class groan at the idea.

"Come on, it won't be that hard. If you find something to be special about that person, just explain what it is and the reason for it."

Helga looked at her boyfriend with desperate eyes, thinking about the previous night. The comforting feeling he brought to her in her loneliest times. The way he found good uses for what seemed to be useless qualities.

When morning classes ended, Arnold watched Gerald silently leave the room without him; implying he had no interest in sitting with them that day.

Helga took notice of the sad look on her boyfriend's face and said "Look Arnoldo, as admirable as your optimism is, a little logical thinking is required every now and then." she began to explain, seeing him turn to face her.

"He's clearly throwing a tantrum because of those tickets, which in no way is your fault. Therefore, in no way is it your job to fix his attitude. Let him come around when he wants to, and don't worry about it until then. Sheesh." Helga scoffed, walking towards the cafeteria with her boyfriend.

 _Cafeteria_

As Helga sat back in her chair, drinking her chocolate milk with a bendy straw, she watched her sad boyfriend staring at his folded arms on the table. Unable to take it anymore, she leaned forward to scowl, shoving her milk aside.

"Oh come on Arnold!"

"What?" he asked, lifting his head up.

"Tell me, are you upset because you pity him, or because you can't fix his problem _for_ him?"

Not seeing much of a difference, Arnold shrugged his shoulders and said "I don't know? Both."

Helga began to smack her face. Yes it was annoying that he wanted to fix everything for everyone. It was even more annoying to see him sulking at the idea of failing at it. Yes people needed him for it, but it wasn't required of him. He had no reason to feel guilty.

That being said, Helga once again felt the weight of a problem solver being needed placed upon her shoulders.

"Look Arnoldo, as much as people depend on you to fix things for them...at no point in your life did you sign a contract stating you'd be there for everyone freakin' person you've ever met to fix every freakin' problem they've ever created for themselves." she began, seeing his eyes widen.

"Since I know that won't change the level of guilt floating around in that football shaped head of yours however, I'm willing to help out with tall hair boy."

 _Classroom (End of Day)_

When the last bell rang, Arnold turned to his girlfriend and said "I'll see you later. Good luck."

"Thanks. You too." she smiled, watching him quickly leave the room.

After Arnold ran off, Gerald stood at Mr. Simmons desk to collect Phoebe's homework for that day.

"Here you are Gerald. Tell Phoebe we look forward to seeing her on Monday!" Mr. Simmons said.

Gerald turned around with the items to see Helga standing face to face with him. "You do realize it's possible to walk _around_ me to get to him." Gerald lifted an eyebrow, assuming she needed to speak with Mr. Simmons.

"Who said I was waiting to speak with him?" Helga smirked, seeing the puzzled look appear on his face.

"What are you waiting for then?"

"Pttss...you? Doi! I haven't seen Pheebs all week! Now come on, we're burning daylight! Sheesh!" she scowled, hurrying Gerald out the door.

 _Mickey's Dog Pound_

"Hey kid. Your friend excited about those tickets?" Mickey asked, seeing Arnold walk into his restaurant.

"Actually, we sort of lost the tickets. His brother stole them, and he's pretty upset about it." Arnold explained.

"Sounds like something my brother would do to me." Mickey said in a monotone voice.

"I know it's too much to ask for some new tickets. Do you think your brother might be interested in having lunch on Sunday?"

"Sure kid. Tell your friend to meet us here at noon."

"Sounds great! Thanks!"

 _Walk to Phoebe's_

"Pick up the pace Geraldo! Sheesh!" Helga scoffed, watching Gerald carry a handful of books for his girlfriend.

"You know, this would go a lot faster if you were helping." he sighed, still thinking about the game he would be missing the next day.

"Hmm...let's examine this for a moment shall we? Are you moving slow because your scrawny arms can't handle a few extra books, or because you're still sulking over those lame tickets?"

"Man! You'd be upset too if something you had been looking forward to got ruined."

"This isn't just about that dumb game Geraldo!" Helga stopped the walk, placing her hands on her hips.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the fact that football head was nice enough to get you those tickets, and how do you repay him? By making him feel like it's _his_ fault your lame-o brother stole them from you!" Helga began, while Gerald stopped to consider this.

"I mean criminy! The guy's gone out of his way to fix everyone else's problems for no reason whatsoever! No one asks him for help. He just does it! How do you show your stinkin' gratitude? Acting like a freakin' three year old by giving him the silent treatment all day! Has the guy not done enough for you? Sheesh!" she scowled, throwing her hands in the air.

 _Phoebe's House_

"Why hello Helga. How are you?" Phoebe sniffled, seeing her best friend enter with her books.

"Hey Pheebs, how's it going?"

"I'm doing much better. I'm looking forward to being back at school with our fellow classmates next week."

Cocking her brow at her best friend's eagerness, Helga asked "Are you sure you're doing better?"

After letting out a small laugh, Phoebe couldn't help but ask "Where's Gerald?"

 _Boarding House_

After speaking with Mickey about lunch that weekend, Arnold came home to see his best friend sitting on his porch steps.

"Gerald?"

"Hey Arnold." Gerald stood up, ready to give his best friend their secret handshake.

"Hey. I'm sorry about the tickets."

"Don't be. It was my fault. I should have known they wouldn't survive at my house." he laughed, seeing a smile form on his friend's face.

"Well, if it makes you feel better, Mickey is willing to let us have lunch with his brother on Sunday."

"Sounds great man!"

 _Phoebe's House_

"It sounds as though the three of you have had quite a demanding week." Phoebe replied, after listening to Helga thoroughly explain the details Gerald had left out from his visits.

"Yeah, but he and football head should be apologizing to each other now. Then the two of them can eat lunch with their ball game buddies on Sunday. Sheesh." Helga scoffed.

"Well, I'm pleased to hear everything worked out between them."

"Thanks Pheebs. We're glad you're feeling better." Helga smiled softly.

 _Helga's House (later that evening)_

"Criminy! What's the matter with me? Why can't I think of anything good to write about Arnold? It's Arnold!

Helga laid on her bed, tapping her pencil against her notepad, trying to think of the right words to use to describe her beloved with.

KNOCK KNOCK!

"Hey Helga! You in there? It's your little friend Alfred!"

"Arnold?!"

"Yeah Arnold, whatever!" Bob scowled.

Helga opened the door, ready to run downstairs. Instead, she ran face into her beloved.

"Criminy!"

"Sorry Helga. I didn't expect you to coming running out like that." he said, holding a hand to her face.

"It's okay. I think I'll survive." she smirked, motioning for him to come into her room.

Closing the door behind them, she asked "So, how'd things go with Geraldo?"

"Everything worked out...all thanks to you." he smiled.

Taking a seat beside him on the bed, she replied "The powers of my realistic world do tend to outweigh those of your dreamland."

"Whatever you say Helga."

Arnold placed his hands on her soft face. As many times as it had been done, the touch of her beloved always sent chills through her. Pulling her face closer to his, resting his nose against hers, he asked "So, did you finish your poem?"

Helga gulped at the thought. Not just for not finishing it, but for not knowing how to start it. He knew he was her inspiration. The thing that made her tick when it came to writing passionately about anything. Why hadn't she been able to write one yet?

"Umm not yet?"

"Do you need help?" he asked, feeling a bit embarrassed. He knew there wasn't any advice he could give her when it came to writing.

"Uhh no. I know you're my topic. I know your optimism is what I love most about you...no matter how annoying it may be at times." she couldn't help but add.

"Then why do you love it so much?"

Rolling her eyes at his need to question her feelings, she smirked "Because It's the thing that gives me hope for the tragic times I face in my life. Doi!"

Although he didn't enjoy hearing how tough times were for her, he loved hearing how much she needed him. Even better, when she was willing to admit it herself.

Pressing his lips against her softly, running his fingers through her silky blonde hair, he began to lean on top of her. Wrapping his hand behind her head, with his other around her waist, the two were adjusting their positions on her bed when they heard a piece of paper crinkling.

Helga's eyes began to flutter open at the sound. With Arnold's lips still pressed against hers, she whispered "What was that?"

Helga could feel his lips curving into a smile against her own as he pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket.

"What's that football head?" she scoffed, cocking her brow at the sheet he was holding.

Anxiously handing over the sheet, Helga opened it to read…

 _A line of reasoning for me_

 _Showing strict principles of validity_

 _Arguments containing rationality_

 _She's my Helga G. Pataki_

Helga began to blush terribly at these words. Her embarrassment was quickly faded when she looked over at her boyfriend's sweet sensitive eyes. Feeling him place his hand on her face, she listened to him say "Your voice of reason means as much to me as my hopeful attitude does to you."

Swooning deeply at these words, she felt him softly place his lips against hers. Holding her soft face in his hands, his warm breath moved to send chills flowing through her when he pulled back to say "I'll let you work on yours now."

Her heart began to ache at these words. For once, she didn't care about writing her feelings down when she had the real thing in front of her.

Letting out a soft sigh, she said "Okay. Night football head."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Don't Change Anything

 _Sunday_

 _Mickey's Dog Pound_

"I can't believe it! Mickey Kaline's brother!" Gerald exclaimed, shaking their favorite baseball player's brother's hand.

"I'm Tim. Glad to meet you kid! Any friend of Mickey's is a friend of mine!"

Pointing to Arnold, Mickey said "This kid caught the last home run ball I ever hit. He brought it back to give to me later than evening."

 _Helga's House_

Sitting at the kitchen counter, sipping a yahoo soda, Helga hoped a new atmosphere would help with thinking of a poem worthy of describing her beloved's brightside.

Tapping her pencil against the counter, she heard "Baby sister!"

"Criminy! What the heck is wrong with you?" she scowled, seeing her sister sneak up from behind her.

"Would you like to help me make dinner baby sister?" Olga asked hopefully, as Helga grabbed her things from the counter to head in the living room. "Pttss...I don't think so."

 _Mickey's Dog Pound_

"You hit that many homeruns your first game! Man! That would have been great to see!" Gerald exclaimed, taking a bite of his hotdog.

"It's nice getting to talk like this though. We wouldn't have gotten a chance to do that if you kids had come to the game." Tim pointed out.

"We might not have even gotten to meet you." Arnold added, seeing another positive side to having lunch with him.

 _Helga's House_

"Hey! Hey-hey-hey-hey-hey! What do you think you're doing little missy!

"Homework Bob! Ever heard of it?" Helga scowled, looking up from her notepad, sitting on the couch.

"Well hand over the remote would ya! I've got a cell phone commercial to watch!" Bob scowled, taking a seat beside his neglected daughter.

Grunting at her inability to get some peace and quiet, she headed for her bedroom.

Marching up the stairs, she laid back on her bed with her notebook flat on her face. Taking a deep breath, she thought to herself…

 _Oh Arnold! What is it about your tender loving care I find to be the most irresistible? The way you light up our world with your hopeful way of thinking? Your ability to show confidence in the most despairing events? Your sanguine attitude which tends to outweigh even the most ominous of groups._

 _Mickey's Dog Pound_

"Thanks for lunch! It was great!" Arnold said, shaking Tim's hand.

"No problem kid. See ya around." Mickey said, watching the two young boys leave the restaurant.

As Arnold and Gerald approached the sidewalk, Gerald said "Well Arnold, that was a sweet lunch."

"Yeah, I'm glad everything worked out."

"See ya at school buddy." Gerald said happily, giving his best friend their secret handshake.

 _Helga's House_

Laying on her bed with her notebook in her lap, Helga heard a loud bang on her door and an even louder voice from behind…

"Hey Helga! Your little friend Alfred's here!"

Setting her notebook aside, she stood to carefully open the door, not wanting a repeat of the previous visit.

Sure enough, he was standing there, waiting to see her smiling face. "Hey Helga."

"Hey football head. How'd lunch go? Geraldo jump out of his seat half the time?" she scoffed.

Arnold walked in to take a seat on her bed. "It was great. Thanks for helping out." he smiled, seeing her begin to blush.

"Uhh no problem." she said hesitantly, rubbing the back of her neck.

As Arnold leaned back on her bed, his hand fell against her notebook. Looking over at it, he asked "Did you finish your poem?"

"Uhh yeah." she sighed, not sure what he would think of it.

 _The way you light up my world with your hopeful way of thinking._

 _Your ability to show confidence in the most despairing events._

 _Your sanguine attitude which tends to outweigh even the most ominous of groups._

 _Where we be without your optimistic attitude?_

Smiling at these words, he gazed at her with his half lidded eyes and asked "Did you write this for class or was it your 'voice of reason' being recorded."

Rolling her eyes at his witty remark, she snatched it and scoffed "Oh shut up football head, I'm still working on it!"

"Don't change it. Even though I love the way you think things through, your passionate side is admirable because it flows naturally from you."

Swooning deeply at these words, she sat beside him to feel him once again take her face in his hands. Pressing his lips softly against hers, he whispered "I wouldn't have a reason to look on the brightside if I didn't have you."

Cocking her brow, she smirked "Is that supposed to be English for 'She's my dark side'?"

"Maybe." he winked, while seeing her roll her eyes.

"Whatever you say, football head."

 _ **THE END**_

 _ **THANKS FOR READING**_

 _ **PLEASE REVIEW**_


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